


Reassurance

by hope27



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope27/pseuds/hope27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver comes back from a date interrupted by hood activities upset.  Felicity listens and offers some reassurance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reassurance

**Author's Note:**

> First posted to my tumblr account. Just trying to move all my stories over to here so they are somewhere more permanent and easily accessible. :)
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC Comics and the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

Felicity heard a loud slam and then footsteps pounding down the metal staircase to the underground office in the old Queen’s warehouse. Turning her head, she watched, eyebrows raised as Oliver threw his suit jacket onto the table, followed by the green hood he wore as part of his disguise. 

His hand slammed down on the metal surface causing her to jump in her seat. His face was a myriad of emotions, and his brow was knit with anger. She quickly swallowed the sarcastic comment she was about to make seconds earlier.

Instead, she stood, slowly, approaching him as if he were a wounded animal. “Are…are you okay, Oliver?” She asked, voice echoing softly in the empty building.

She ignored the beep of the computer behind her alerting her that it had completed the scan it was running instead focusing all her attention on her boss and friend.

He looked up then, dark paint still smudged across his upper face. She always wondered how he applied it so fast. If only she could be as quick as him with makeup she thought wryly, almost laughing out loud, but biting on her lower lip to stifle her inner thoughts. 

“I can’t keep letting people into my life, Felicity. It doesn’t work when I’m two different people at different times,” he finally said, voice low and heavy with emotion. “You told me I was all work and no play, so I tried to go out, have fun, be with someone…”

She felt her heart rate pick up at his words. She remembered telling him that. She thought it would do him good to get out of this old factory and start interacting more with other people. However, she didn’t count on the feeling in the pit of her stomach watching him date someone else. It shouldn’t matter to her. He was her boss, a friend (yes, she’d finally admitted he was that), someone she kept a very big secret for and helped protect at times, but that’s it. At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself. But she knew she had developed feelings for Oliver Queen. And she hated herself for that. Because she wasn’t supposed to like guys like him. They never picked girls like her. And she knew better. Her brain lectured her on this every single time she’d seen him walk out of the office, ready to go on another date. Or those numerous times, like tonight, when she’d had to interrupt his date. Everytime he went out on another mission, or went hunting another person on the list, she worried for him. Each time that concern for him grew. What if he didn’t come back this time? What if no one was there to help him when he got shot this time? What if she lost him for good…

“But I can’t do that, Felicity,” he ground out, eyes finding hers in the dim lighting. “Because every second I spend getting to know someone, every time I let someone close to me, they can become a target and they are one more person I have to lie to. I already lie to almost everyone I care about, I can’t keep adding to that number.”

She nodded in understanding, but she was unsure of what to say to him. Pushing her glasses up was a habit of hers whenever she felt uncomfortable, and she had tried to break herself of it. But she found if she didn’t do that, she did something else, like crack her knuckles or pull her arms behind her back or bit her lower lip. They were all tells for her, and she knew Oliver could read them all because he sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear all of this,” he apologized, picking up his hood and walking over to the large green trunk that he kept all the stuff he brought back from the island. She didn’t touch that box. That was his space, and she respected that. But it didn’t mean she wasn’t curious as to what it all it held. She took the moment to follow him over, concern for him written all over her face.

Felicity wanted to say so many things, but she knew she’d just start to ramble, but maybe that was better than saying nothing.

“Oliver, no, it’s fine. I kind of like it when you talk to me – well, I do like it – not many people just come to me with problems. Most of the time I’m pretty invisible until people need me. It’s nice to talk to someone. It gets lonely…but I’m sure you know that considering you were trapped on an island for five years. Not that I know anything about your experience, but it seems like it would have been lonely. Anyway, what I mean is you can talk to me. And I already know your secret, so you might as well. You don’t have to lie to me. In fact, I’d appreciate you not lying to me. Not that you do…anymore, I mean.”

She paused to take a long breath and realized Oliver was staring at her from just a few feet away, a small smile on his face. He made a breathy sound, something that sounded like a laugh and sigh combined. “I don’t know what it is about you Felicity, but you always seem to make me smile.”

Felicity felt her cheeks begin to burn and she looked down, trying to hide the smile threatening to spill on to her face. She bit her lower lip and pushed her glasses up on her nose before finally finding the courage to look at him again.

“Um…that might be the nicest thing someone has said to me in a really long time…well, I mean, ever since you called me remarkable.” Her face fell in alarm after she said that, “Not that I’m keeping track of compliments or remember all of our conversations…Although they were pretty memorable from the ridiculous stuff you asked me to do, but…”

This time Oliver did laugh, and Felicity found herself joining him. 

The computer behind them beeped again and Felicity jumped remembering that she had in fact been working on something important before Oliver had walked in.

“Oh!” she cried, hurrying over to her computer (she had decided it was hers by this time in their partnership) and reading the results that had popped up on the screen.

“Well, it looks like the hard drive you brought me earlier has some interesting information on it,” Felicity commented, back in her work mode as she typed furiously away at the keyboard. “Including about a hundred emails to and from this guy to Queen Consolidated.”

She suddenly felt Oliver’s presence behind her, his breath close by her ear as he looked over her shoulder at the screen. “Who is that?” he asked, pointing to a name on the screen.

“Um…I don’t know, but I can find out,” she responded, quickly typing the name into a secure search engine. “Looks like he’s a contractor hired by Queen Consolidated to provide extra security.”

Glancing back at Oliver, she realized she had forgotten how close he was and his mouth was now directly in her sight and only inches away. She could smell his cologne mixed with his sweat as she inhaled and fought to control the sudden desire to move closer to him.

“That name sounds familiar but I don’t think he’s in the book,” Oliver murmured, turning slightly to look at Felicity.

Felicity froze, and she was sure her face looked like a deer caught in the headlights but she couldn’t seem to make herself move as Oliver’s gaze met hers inches away from her face. She watched as his eyes dilated slightly and her heart thumped in her chest when she saw his gaze flicker down to her lips. 

And suddenly, she began to panic. Quickly, she turned, clearing her throat and started typing, not sure what she was doing but knowing she had to do something or she was going to kiss Oliver Queen. And that couldn’t happen. It couldn’t. Because he was her boss and she was just the IT girl who was now a part of his secret team, and there was no way he was interested in her, and it just couldn’t happen.

She didn’t realize Oliver was talking to her until she felt his hand on her shoulder, and she paused, fingers stopping mid-word to look up at him. 

He was now standing behind her, a look that mixed concern and confusion marring his features. He still wore the green paint and Felicity found herself desperately wanting to wipe it away so she could really see his whole face. It was then that she noticed a tinge of red mixed in with the green and she frowned. He was hurt. She hadn’t noticed before and, of course, he wouldn’t say anything. But there was definitely a gash that ran along his temple to just above his right eye.

“Are you okay?” he asked, “You totally zoned out just now.”

She took her fingers off the keyboard, grasping them in her lap, “Oh, sorry,” she replied sheepishly, “Sometimes I do that when I get nervous or am thinking of something.”

“You’re nervous?” He questioned, lips tweaking upward and Felicity groaned internally. She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

“No…I mean, I was just working, like you pay me to do…” She fumbled through an explanation, hoping he’d leave it alone.

His look told her he was going to say more so instead, she sprung up and decided to distract him instead. “Come here,” she commanded, voice stronger than she intended.

Raising his eyebrows, she saw him follow her to a small sink in the corner of the room. At least there was a water supply down here, even if the bathroom was upstairs. Wetting an end of one of the blankets stacked by the sink, she motioned for him to sit on the table. 

She could tell he was still trying to figure out what she was doing, but he followed her silent request and sat. 

Carefully, she lifted the wet end of the blanket to his face and began to wipe off the green paint that was partially smudged where he must have taken a blow from the man he fought tonight. As she wiped away the paint, she could see a small bruise starting to form.

Oliver sat quietly, watching her intently, and she tried to ignore the way his eyes stayed fixed on her face while she worked. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest and she wondered at various times what she thought she was doing. This had to be crossing some boss-employee lines, but she didn’t care. It had been an impulse, possibly a stupid one, but she had run with it and she had to finish it. Running away now would only make things more awkward. Plus, she didn’t like the fact that he was bleeding. She hadn’t noticed how bad he was cut before, but now that she was removing the paint, she could see the red gash that ran from his temple to the corner of his right eye.

“Your bleeding,” she mumbled, breaking the silence. And a sense of déjà vu hit her as he smiled.

“You don’t need to tell me that,” he replied softly, and she smiled back. 

She chuckled as she finished wiping the green ink from his face and reached for the first aid kit. 

“I’m sorry I had to interrupt your date, again,” she told him, still avoiding his gaze and concentrating on cleaning up the cut along his forehead.

Oliver sighed, “I knew this wouldn’t be easy. But sometimes, I realize just how hard it is.”

Felicity smiled and nodded, “Diggle would fall over from surprise if he heard you say that.”

“Yeah, he probably would,” Oliver agreed, chuckling, “So don’t tell him.”

She gave him a pointed look, “It’s not a bad thing to open up every once in a while.”

He stared at her, seeming to take her in with her words, “It is when it could get you or those you care about killed.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest. “Admitting something is hard; it doesn’t make you weak, Oliver.” 

She stopped cleaning the wound to look at him, suddenly more confident than normal, “I know I told you I am only helping you until you find your step-father, but the more I work with you, the more I see what you are trying to do. I don’t always agree with all of your methods, but you are trying to protect people. You’re trying to right wrongs. And there’s nothing weak about that, Oliver. You just have to remember to be a hero, not just a vigilante.”

Oliver just stared at her, and Felicity looked away at the intense look she found in his eyes. She returned her attention to his wound, bringing her hand up to dab it dry with a cotton ball when his hand caught her wrist.

Felicity inhaled sharply at the unexpected contact. The warmth of his hand sending ribbons of heat throughout her body. She gazed at the strong fingers on her arm and followed the length of his arm with her eyes until she found herself staring into his own eyes. He squeezed her arm gently, slowly sliding his fingers up to her hand and clasping it. She was sure he could hear her heart beat now.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his voice low yet soft. His eyes were warm, and filled with more emotion than she’d ever seen him display.

She smiled tentatively, biting her lip to keep herself from throwing her arms around his neck. Before she could register what was happening, he leaned forward and she felt his lips brush against her cheek, his breath leaving a hot trail to her ear and then it was gone. 

As he leaned back, she quickly fought to get her emotions under control. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and then opened them, pushing her glasses back on her nose and resuming her work on gash along his temple. 

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw the corners of his lips creep upwards, and she found that she was smiling too.


End file.
